Explore the treasures of Mackinac Island as you delve into the island's glorious history, geology, natural beauty, architecture and modern life. Discover old-world traditions as you learn about the island's early economic and military importance as well as its development as a Victorian resort. Customs and cultures will come alive through lectures and field trips with local residents and area experts. A field trip to Fort Mackinac, a carriage ride around the island and afternoon tea at the historic Grand Hotel will enhance your visit.

Highlights

• Discover the valuable roles horses play on the island during a narrated carriage ride.• On a walk with a naturalist, explore the island's beautiful natural spaces up close, then juxtapose your natural encounter with afternoon tea amid the elegance of the historic Grand Hotel.• Learn why Mackinac’s Victorian homes are an important part of island history on a field trip with the Deputy Director of Mackinac State Historic Parks.

Activity Particulars

Walking 1–2 miles per day. Paved and unpaved roads, some hilly terrain, stairs.

Transportation by foot, horse-drawn carriage, bike.

Date Specific Information

6-7-2015

The program week takes place during the island’s annual Lilac Festival. The festival celebrates the island’s historic varieties of lilacs, as well as its distinctive equestrian culture, historic appeal, and local cuisine. Special activities are scheduled as part of the program, including a session on lilacs with a renowned expert, a visit to the Governor’s Mansion, and A Taste of Mackinac, a culinary event that features Chefs from the islands’ restaurants.

Coordinated by Central Michigan University.

Mackinac Island

With a vibrant Native American and European history, this island in Lake Huron is an amalgam of natural beauty and Victorian architecture. Michilimackinac, or Land of the Great Turtle, forbids automobiles in favor of carriages or bicycles.

Accommodations
Stately Victorian manor.

Road Scholar Instructors

These instructors are participating on at least one date of this program. Please note that changes may occur.

Karen Allen

Karen Allen currently teaches reading and language arts in grades 2-7 at the Mackinac Island Public School on Mackinac Island. Originally from Pontiac, Michigan, Karen has worked at the school since 1988 and resides on the island year round. Each Spring Karen produces a Broadway Jr. production with her students. She enjoys traveling and created a travel club at the school. Karen, a CMU alum, offers walking tours of the island as a side business. Karen has a daughter who attended the University of Michigan and now works in the Detroit area.

Steve Brisson

Steve Brisson currently serves as the Deputy Director of Mackinac State Historic Parks. He received his B.A. in history from Northern Michigan University and his M.A. in history museum studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Cooperstown, N.Y. A Michigan native, he completed his graduate internship at the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village. Steve previously worked as a curator for the State Historical Society of Wisconsin before joining Mackinac State Historic Parks in 1996. He has written several articles and four books on Mackinac Island's history. He lives in Cheboygan and works out of the Mackinac State Historic Parks Mackinaw City office in the winter and the Mackinac Island office at Fort Mackinac in the summer.

Jeff Dykehouse

Jeff Dykehouse has worked for the Mackinac State Historic Parks (MSHP) since 1983 and is the Curator of Natural History for the MSHP. Trained as a biologist, he has worked as an interpretive naturalist, environmental educator, research biologist, and audiovisual specialist for a number of Michigan’s State and National Parks. Jeff has been a “birder” all his life and has had a master Federal Bird Banding permit for over 30 years. Jeff lives on the shore of Lake Huron near Cheboygan with his wife and their three children.

Patricia Martin

Patricia Martin holds a master’s of science degree in field botany from Central Michigan University (CMU) where she wrote her thesis entitled “A Floristic Study of the Vascular Plants of Mackinac Island, Michigan.” She also holds a secondary education teaching certificate from CMU and did her undergraduate work in biology and chemistry at Alma College in Alma, Michigan. She taught school in England, Richmond, Michigan, and on Mackinac Island where she continues to substitute teach. She grew up on the island where she lives year round. For 11 years she was both a natural history interpreter and head historic house interpreter for the Mackinac State Historic Parks. For the last three decades she has run her family home, Bogan Lane Inn, as a bed and breakfast and writes the weekly “Nature Notes” column for the Mackinac Island Town Crier. Trish is a member of the Mackinac Horsemen’s Association, and serves on the Planning Commission, the Environmental Advisory Committee, and the Ministry Support Team of Trinity Episcopal Church where she is also one of the priests.

Lisa Craig-Brisson

Lisa Craig Brisson lives on Mackinac Island in the summer and in Cheboygan, Michigan during the winter. She holds undergraduate degrees in history and social studies-secondary education from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, and a master’s degree in museum studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program in New York. Lisa has worked at historic sites all over the country including Historic Fort Snelling and the Alexander Ramsey House in Minnesota, Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, the Farmer’s Museum in New York, and most recently Mackinac State Historic Parks. From 1999 to 2012, Lisa worked as an independent museum history educator. Some of her favorite former projects include operating a historic walking excursion business on Mackinac Island, helping update the Mackinac Island Carriage Tour experience, and serving as a local coordinator for a project that brought a Smithsonian Institution exhibit about food to the Cheboygan Area Public Library. Lisa was hired this year to serve as the Executive Director for the Michigan Museums Association, which gives her the opportunity to work with museums throughout the state. To say she is thrilled to pieces with this new venture would be an understatement. In her free time, Lisa enjoys learning about local foods and writes the weekly food column for the Cheboygan Daily Tribune.

Meals and Lodgings

Harbour View Inn

Mackinac Island

5 nights

Harbour View Inn

Type:

Hotel

Description:

Harbour View Inn overlooks the water and is an elegant hotel recreated in Victorian charm. The inn enjoys a colorful history. Madame La Framboise, a Great Lakes fur trader and granddaughter of Returning Cloud, Chief of the Ottowa Indian Nation, built this stately manor. Her home offered shelter for early traders, explorers, and mapmakers, as well as a meeting place for writers, artists, Governors, and Ladies. You will find the Victorian charm and history of Harbour View Inn enchanting. Please visit their web site at harbourviewinn.com to download a brochure or view a video of the hotel and grounds.

Parking
availability:
Each ferry company offers free parking for the first 5 nights, including RV parking. Lots are patrolled regularly by law enforcement personnel. Indoor parking is available. Rates vary $8-$15/night. Please contact the ferry companies directly for details.

Transportation

To
Start of Program

Location:

Mackinac Island

Nearest
city or town:

Mackinaw City

Nearest
highway:

I-75

Nearest
airport:

Pellston Airport

From
End of Program

Location:

Mackinac Island

(Additional
transportation information
same as above)

Travel Details

Mackinac Island

From Ferry Landing

Service:

TaxiMackinac Island Carriage Toursphone: 906-847-3323

Per Person/One Way:

$5 (2 person minimum required)Prices are subject to change.

Travel Time:

10 minutes

Taxis are sometimes at the ferry docks waiting for passengers. If a taxi is not at the docks, you will need to call for one. Waiting time can vary from 10-15 minutes.
Actual walking time to the hotel from the ferry docks is approximately 10-15 minutes. If you stand with your back to the water while facing inward toward the island, proceed to the right. The hotel is only a few blocks from the ferry docks, on the left, white with tall columns, a gracious veranda, and large sign.

Pellston

From Airport

Service:

TaxiWolverine Stagesphone: 800-825-1450Advanced Reservations Required

Per Person/One Way:

$25Prices are subject to change.

Travel Time:

Approximately 45 minutes

Fly into Pellston Regional Airport from Detroit. Take taxi/limousine service from Pellston to one of the ferry docks in Mackinaw City. Reservations are recommended 2-3 weeks in advance. Contact via phone or email at taxxi@freeway.net.

Driving
Directions

From the North

Take I-75 south and follow signs to St. Ignace. Take exit 345, exit 348, or exit 344A and follow the signs to one of the three ferry docks. All three ferry companies provide service from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City. See below for additional information about the ferry companies.

From the South

From the lower peninsula of Michigan, take I-75 north and follow signs for Mackinaw City. Take either exit 337 and travel north on Huron Street or exit 338 and travel south on Huron Street. There are three ferry companies that can ferry you to the island. All three ferry companies offer similar amenities and comparable services. The staff at the ferry docks will explain where to park your car to unload your luggage for transfer to Mackinac Island. Allow approximately a half hour to park your car, load your luggage, and board the ferry. Ferry to island is approximately 15 minutes (no reservations required). Maps and directions to each ferry company are included on their web sites.
Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry
$18/person
800-828-6157
sheplersferry.com
Purchase online or upon arrival. Online discount code is SCHOLAR.
Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry
$12/person
800-638-9892
mackinacferry.com
Purchase online or upon arrival. Online discount code is CMU.
Arnold Line Transit Co.
$9/person
800-542-8528
arnoldline.com
Purchase online or upon arrival (discount does not apply to online purchases).
Identify yourself as a Road Scholar participant to receive the discount rates.
It is customary to tip the ferry porter assisting with your car and luggage. Customary tip is $2-$5.

The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.

Enjoy a narrated carriage tour of Mackinac Island through the downtown and into the state park. Discover the valuable roles horses play on the island. Afterwards, visit historic Fort Mackinac and learn about the island's military importance.

Lunch:

Lunch on-site.

Afternoon:

Discover the geological history of Mackinac Island and the Great Lakes region in a classroom session followed by a walking field trip with a prominent local naturalist.

Dinner:

Dinner on-site.

Evening:

Learn about the daily challenges, unique dilemmas, and unexpected pleasures residents face living on Mackinac Island.

Discuss the unusual combination of Mackinac Island history (Native, French, English, and American) and learn how each culture played a role in the island's development. Discover the island’s role in past wars, as a home for early fur traders, explorers, and mapmakers, and its development as a popular tourist destination.

Lunch:

Lunch on-site

Afternoon:

Group will be split in two: Group A will attend a classroom session to study the unique flora and plant life on the island followed by a walking field trip to experience the island's natural beauty up close (includes 1 – 1.5 hour leisurely walk). Group B will visit the historic Grand Hotel for an elegant, but casual, afternoon of tea.

Dinner:

Dinner on-site.

Evening:

Learn about the indigenous birds on Mackinac Island through a fun and charming lecture with an experienced birder.

Learn more about the island’s birds on a walk to discover their habitats and nesting areas.

Lunch:

Lunch on-site.

Afternoon:

Group will be split in two: Group B will attend a classroom session to study the unique flora and plant life on the island followed by a walking field trip to experience the island's natural beauty up close (includes 1 – 1.5 hour leisurely walk). Group A will visit the historic Grand Hotel for an elegant, but casual, afternoon of tea.

Dinner:

Dinner on-site.

Evening:

Learn about one of Mackinac Island’s most important resources – the horses. The island vet will discuss the roles of horses on the island, their care, and why they are so essential to island life today.

Learn why the Victorian homes on Mackinac Island are an important part of the island's history and their status today as renowned works of art. Revel in their beauty and design on a walking field trip with the Chief Curator of Mackinac State Historic Parks.

Discover the traditional foods of Northern Michigan, including their historical and cultural influences.

Lunch:

Lunch on-site.

Afternoon:

Program ends after lunch.

Meals
Included:

Breakfast, Lunch

Important information about your itinerary: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information featured on this website. Itineraries are based on our best information at this time. Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Information will be sent to you from your Program Provider approximately three weeks prior to the program start date. The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.

You can't find a better value than Road Scholar.

As a not-for-profit organization, we are dedicated to providing all-inclusive educational programs at great value. From lectures to gratuities to field trips to accommodations - the tuition you pay up front is all that you pay.

Specifically, this program includes:

5 nights accommodations

15 meals:
5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 dinners

Expert-led lectures: 9

Expert-led lectures

Led by one or more of our world-class instructors, typically in a classroom setting, lectures come in the form of presentations, discussions or workshops and offer expert insight into your area of study.

Field trips: 8

Field trips

The world is your classroom, as you're on location with an instructor to pursue your educational theme firsthand.

Plus these special experiences...

Experience an in-depth look at Mackinac Island through lectures and field trips with local experts.

Discover the beauty and unique history of Mackinac Island on a narrated carriage tour around the island.

Relax at the Grand Hotel while enjoying afternoon tea.

View the Daily Schedule to see more

And included with all Road Scholar programs:

Learning led by expert instructors who are authorities in the field of study.

An experienced Group Leader attuned to the needs of Road Scholar participants.

Customary gratuities throughout the program that you would normally pay yourself.